NEW YORK (Kyodo) One of two Japanese passengers aboard the U.S. Airways jet that ditched in the Hudson River in New York on Thursday recalled the highlights of the soggy flight a day after the ordeal.

"My mind went blank when the jet crash-landed," said Kanau Deguchi, 36, of Sakai Trading New York Inc., the local unit of Sakai Trading in Japan.

Deguchi, who was in an aisle seat in the third-to-last row, said he heard an odd sound in the back soon after takeoff and then some commotion. He also smelled something burning.

Before landing, the captain asked "us to prepare for a shock," Deguchi said. "But the shock was not significant. It was like a rough landing."

The jet landed in the river five minutes after takeoff, but did not rock heavily, he said.

Since he couldn't see outside, he didn't feel much fear about the possibility of the plane crashing, he said.

But he felt differently once the water began coming in.

"I got scared wondering if I could get out of the plane," he said, adding that he waited for five to 10 minutes on the wing to be rescued. He said the airplane was beginning to sink at the time and that the chilly water had risen to his knees.

The jet, carrying 155 passengers, ditched in the icy Hudson shortly after losing use of both engines to what was believed to be multiple bird strikes after taking off from LaGuardia airport.

All the passengers and crew members survived.